Affinity
by in-the-sometime
Summary: Written for the Swan Queen Week of Magical Mishaps, Day Six: Body Swap. This story takes place right when Emma and Regina are stopping the trigger, it also avoids the trip to Neverland. Tamara and Greg aren't really in this. I'm not really interested in their story line. Neal is gone and presumed dead. All errors are my own.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story takes place right when Emma and Regina are stopping the trigger, it also avoids the trip to Neverland. Tamara and Greg aren't really in this, I'm not really interested in their story line. Neal is gone and presumed dead. All errors are my own. This is my Swan Queen Week: Magical Mishaps. Entry for "Body Swap". ENJOY!_

**Affinity**

Chapter One: _Soul Exchange_

"You might not be strong enough, but maybe we are."

Regina looked up from the trigger, unsure of what she had heard, but when she saw determined eyes looking back at her, everything was clear. They would stop this trigger, if it was the last thing they did, because it could very well be exactly that.

Snow and Charming quickly made their way with Henry to a far end corner as Emma came to face the trigger. She slowly started placing her hands in the same way that Regina had hers.

_Magic is emotion_, she kept telling herself.

Blue sparks started to shoot from Emma's hands; they hit their target instantly and started mingling with purple ones. Regina looked up at Emma; hope, strength, she felt it, and it was all wrapped up in a warmth, enveloping them both with determination. She could feel Emma's magic and how it combined with hers, the combination was… she didn't know what it was, but it was strong.

It hit every nerve in her body, making her stomach flutter and goose bumps appear throughout her skin. Their hands started shaking, then arms, shoulders… their bodies feeling the powerful buzz. Their magic was stopping the one thing that threatened the town and the lives of everyone in it.

Suddenly, an explosion of energy sent both women crashing to different ends as the trigger landed on a rock, giving its last signs of power. It had a blue glow with light purple and blue sparks until it died out, going dark.

Both women started to come back to their senses, slowly.

Regina's eyes started to flutter, but she felt a pain in her head. Did she hit something?

"Ugh…" the blonde was struggling to get up, but once she did she came face to face with the body in front of her.

"What the –"

Shock started seeping through the blonde as she took in the image. At first she thought she was seeing things, maybe she hit her head on the way down and that's what's making her see herself on the floor. When she placed her hand on her right temple, noticing some blood there, it only made sense that it could very well be the effects of a head injury.

As the image in front of her started to regain consciousness, Regina took a closer look at her hands. They were not hers, and yet they moved where they needed to, they collected a bit of blood from her temple, she winced at the pain, and she stared at the fingers. Eyes wide at the fair skin fingers, fingers that now had a few drops of crimson. Then she noticed the long golden hair, the clothes she was wearing… Her body felt so different to her, she was a stranger to it; was she taller? _No… no… _

_"No. What's going-" _Regina spoke, finally voicing it to herself.

She was even more shocked to find that her voice was definitely not her own, it was lighter in register, it was Emma's.

"Oh my God." _This can't be!_

"EMMA!" her thought process was cut off my Snow's frantic voice, she saw the woman's face, filled with worry. It had felt strange, she had never seen that expression directed at her before, at least not from Snow White of all people. The woman was the cause of so much of her pain and yet for a second she had almost welcomed this feeling, of having someone be worried for her, just for a second of course.

Snow went immediately towards her daughter. Charming was by her side. Regina was crushed by a hug, Snow was hugging… her, this got her back to her senses immediately. She quickly pulled from the embrace.

"What are you doing!? Get your hands off me." Regina snapped without thinking, she sure as hell wasn't ready for that kind of contact from Snow, but as she saw Snow's expression, a mixture of confusion and hurt, she knew she would have to explain the sudden outburst.

After taking a much-needed breath, she explained "I'm not Miss. Swan."

"What?" If Snow looked confused before, she was beyond the realm of understanding now.

"Honey are you alright? You did hit your head."

Snow was cut off when a loud gasp came from behind them. The three turned to look back at the brunette who was looking just as shocked as the blonde had a few moments ago.

"What the-?" "I… Wha…"

They all stood there watching as the brunette kept examining herself, her eyes were wide, mouth open, she was in obvious shock.

When Emma finally looked at Regina, she couldn't say a word, she just kept staring.

"I'm Regina." She didn't take her eyes off Emma.

"What just happened?" After what seemed like forever, Emma finally spoke. The question was exactly the first thing Regina had expected, but she quickly answered with…

"My eyes are green." Regina took a couple of steps closer to examine her body more closely. Everything looked the same, except for her eyes, her eyes were green.

Emma didn't move a muscle, she was still grounded to the spot.

Charming interrupted "Wait… What's going on?"

A hand grabbed Regina's. Henry had come from the corner and was watching the scene unfold.

"Mom?"

Regina didn't know what to say. Did he mean her or Emma?

Henry then noticed the brunette who was still in shock and he let go of his mother's hand.

"Emma, are you ok? Emma?" he had slowly made his way to his other mother.

"Yeah. I'm… I don't know." Emma wasn't quite used to hearing herself speak in a lower register, it felt wrong.

"How could this happen?" seemed like Snow was catching up quickly, while her husband still seemed lost.

Snow's eyes went from blonde to brunette and then to the floor, shaking her head in disbelief.

"No No No…" she was losing it.

This was by far one of the most awkward situations they could find themselves in. Her former step-mother and her daughter had switched bodies. Some things should only be written in tales. This was so not right.

"Mom?" Henry still confused by it all, looked straight at Regina, an unspoken question in his eyes.

"Yes, dear, it's me." Regina had reached her son who was still beside Emma. She leaned down and saw the look of utter confusion on his face. She brushed his hair away from his forehead and cupped his cheek while giving him a small smile.

"It's me." She confirmed for good measure

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Charming kept watching Snow pace from one end to the other.

"They switched bodies! But… How? I don't understand… this is insane!" she was definitely losing it.

Emma had started breathing again; she hadn't even noticed she was holding it. She was well enough to start making sense of this situation. She placed a hand on Henry's shoulder and squeezed gently while giving him a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, eyes that were green. It was strange, Regina's body with Emma's eyes and vice versa.

"The trigger… it must have-"

"Yes, it's the only way this could have happened." Regina continued for Emma, she was straightening herself, only just now realizing how sore her body was from the fall. _Damn, Swan. You fell hard, didn't you?_

"But how?" Snow kept asking

Charming had obviously cached up, if the expression of complete shock that rendered him speechless was of any clue.

_Like father, like daughter. _Regina thought

"I don't know." Regina really had no idea of how this could have happened, except that it must have happened when they stopped the trigger.

"You mean to tell me, you (he pointed at the blonde) are not really you, because you are really her (he pointed at the brunette) and she's really you (he pointed back to the blonde)" said Charming while scratching the back of his head with his other hand.

Regina and Emma rolled their eyes at him.

"This is weird." Henry said to no one in particular.

_Weird doesn't even come close, kid. _Emma was still in shock, this was really strange.

"Sweetie, I love you, but right now we need to figure out how to undo this. So, you need to snap out of it." Snow looked seriously at her husband, who said nothing more, knowing that it probably wouldn't help.

They all heard a chuckle and stared at Emma.

"Sorry, it's just. We save a town from certain destruction and end up with our very own version of Freaky Friday."

"Do you find this funny, Miss. Swan?" Regina was staring right at her, anger starting to prickle at her senses.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Snow has a point. We need to find out how this happened and undo it. I am not about to spend my days like…" she made a gesture with her hands from top to bottom of the body she was currently inhabiting and finished with "this." Her face was a mixture of disgust and anger.

"Well, I'm not about to throw a body swap party anytime soon, Regina. I'm definitely not thrilled about this whole situation either." Emma was beginning to fume. _This sucks._

"Would you both stop!? Fighting with each other isn't going to solve anything." Henry was past tired of seeing his moms battle it out like five year olds.

"I think we all know who can help with this." Henry offered

"Gold." Snow looked at her grandson, seems they were thinking the same thing.

Gold truly was the only person that could help them. He was mourning the loss of his son and was not inclined to help them now, but it was the one person that they had.

"Then that's what we'll have to do." Emma could only agree, after all, he was powerful and even though she was still wary of him, she saw no other possible choice in the matter.

"Henry… I…" Regina was about to oppose, but then she saw her son's pleading eyes, she saw love there as well, and something that looked like determination. So, even if her mind wanted to run away from possibly owing anything else to that imp, her heart would always do anything to make her son happy.

"Ok." She nodded in agreement and took Henry's shoulder giving it a squeeze. "Ok."

They all made their way to Mr. Gold's shop. On their way they saw the town's people hugging each other, celebrating the fact that they lived to see another day. Relief seemed to spread throughout the town of Storybrooke.

"You should really take Henry home. I don't know how long this will take us, but I promise we'll call if we find out anything."

Emma was trying to reason with her parents who kept looking at her all funny. Obviously they weren't used to the brunette talking to them like this, even if it was really Emma. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't even close to comfortable with this whole thing either. Still, there was no time for all these thoughts. They needed to find a cure, a potion, a spell, anything that could help them switch back.

"But, I want to go." Henry knew he could be of some use.

Regina quickly knelt next to her son "Henry, I know you want to help, and you will, but right now Miss. Swan and I need to have a talk with Mr. Gold. I promise that once we're done with that, we will go to you. A lot has happened in town since the trigger was activated, Greg and Tamara are most likely still out there and I don't want them to get their hands on the one thing I love most in this world. You. So, please, listen to us and go with your grandparents. I promise we'll be back soon."

Regina gave him a watery smile.

"You promise? You'll come back, the both of you." Henry's eyes were brimming with tears

"We promise, kid" Emma knelt as well and wiped a tear from his face.

"Ok." He smiled at them both and gave them a hug.

Emma and Regina both had their arms to their sides, letting their son have what he needed most, the comfort of his moms.

After a short while Henry let go, smiled, and turned around to leave with the Charmings.

As both women watched their son leave, they had the same expression of pride on their face.

"He is wonderful." Emma said

"That he most definitely is." Regina glanced at Emma and with that her smile faded.

Emma looked at Regina and stated

"We need to get to Gold's"

"Yes, we really do."

Regina opened the door to Gold's shop, Emma following behind. The little bell rang and they looked around.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" Regina spoke loudly enough to be heard from the back of the store.

Belle and Rumple were behind the counter when the two came in. Rumple stepped away from Belle and directed his attention to them.

"Miss. Swan, Regina… I see the trigger did not destroy the town and that you both are in one piece. So, forget my bluntness, but, Why have you grazed me with your presence? As I'm sure you could be elsewhere."

"Oh nothing, just some magic doing its thing and now I'm wearing four-inch heals that could probably kill someone when thrown at the right angle." The brunette said as of matter of fact

"Regina, I'm sure your choice of footwear is of no immediate concern-"

He was cut off by Emma's voice

"Of course it's not, but what is of MY immediate concern is that I'M currently playing host to Miss. Swan's body, a body if I may add, that is in desperate need of some pain medication. Damn it, Emma, you really fell hard." That last bit was directed to the brunette

Gold didn't show any indication of understanding their situation.

"Ugh, listen Gold, take a gooood look." the brunette made a gesture of her eyes "See anything particularly out-of-place?"

"I see." It was all he could really say

"Is that all you can say? I see?" Emma was losing her cool

"What else should I say?" Rumple asked

"Obviously, this isn't helping… Listen, somehow we, our bodies, well they switched places and we need your… assistance." Regina knew she would never ask for his help, but assistance, that didn't make her sick to her stomach.

"If it were in my power, dear, to help you with this… Do you really think I would?" the sarcasm was oozing from his mouth

"Listen to me, Gold. I'm in no mood for games, so either you help us or you don't. Either way… How do you think Henry would feel if he knew his grandfather didn't help his moms? How do you think Neal would feel?" Emma was practically shouting

"Neal is gone!" Rumple gave the brunette a piercing look and then something that looked quite like sadness

Silence fell and after a few moments Belle stepped next to Rumple

"Rumple… help them. This will obviously affect your grandson and… he is your family." Belle spoke kindly to her beloved, trying to convince him of making this one small effort, maybe a start to redeem himself.

She grasped his left arm and squeezed, giving him a small smile and as quickly as that Rumple took a steady breath and looked at both women.

"Honestly, there is nothing I can do." He raised his hand before any of them could interrupt. "At least not with magic. I can only give you the why, knowledge if you will. I suppose you wish to know why this happened." It wasn't a question but more a mere fact.

"We do." Regina said plainly

"I must first ask you something." Emma looked at Regina, then back at Rumple and they both nodded

"What happened right before the exchange?"

"We were stopping the trigger…."

Regina explained as much as she could remember from the few seconds before everything happened.

"I see… From what I can tell your souls exchanged the moment your combined magic stopped the trigger. Magic is emotion and as you both should know… some souls can recognize each other. Some souls are bound to each other, a bond that time after time, these souls would find a way to reunite with each other. They must have met at some point when your combined magic was struck and bounced to the nearest body once the trigger emitted the explosion. They say that you can see the person's soul through their eyes. Why do you think your eyes are still your own? You are definitely not in your own body and yet they are yours." Rumples voice gave a sense of wonder, almost as if he could not believe what had happened to them.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Emma scratched the back of her head

Regina lifted an eyebrow and gave him a smirk "Lies… I don't want to play this twisted game."

"I'm not playing games and I'm not lying." Rumple looked dead serious

The smirk on Regina's face fell, her eyes went wide and she exploded

"Daniel died a long time ago, if you quite remember, and he was the only one my soul could ever belong to!"

"Yes, I do remember, but things change and the true companion to your soul is literally all over your face."

"I am not going to listen to this." Regina looked like she might throw up, she was so done with this.

"Well, dear, you did ask for my… assistance."

"You would have me believe that she (points at Emma) she's my… No." Regina was already half way to the exit, her hand on the doorknob when Emma finally spoke.

"She's my soul mate? Regina? Are you on crack? This is… it's… crazy!" Emma was torn between laughing her ass off and screaming some more.

"Yeah… crazy." Regina whispered so low that no one actually heard

Regina turned around, and made her way back to Rumple. She stared him down to see if there was any malice to his words, but when she saw none, she went very quietly to Emma…

"We need to get back to Henry." Emma stared back at her in disbelief.

_Was Regina actually buying this crap? _Emma let herself think this for a moment. _Nah._

"He'll be worried." Regina finished stating

"Fine. We're obviously not going to get any help from him." she shook her head in disbelief. _Gold likes to play games and that's what this is… a game._

"Whether you believe me or not, you know what you have to do, Regina. Unfortunately, you cannot do it alone." Rumple looked from Regina to Emma, took his cane, Belle came to his side, and they both went to the back once more.

Both women made their way to the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Truth be told

Emma followed Regina outside, Regina was walking fast, if she could run, she would have.

"Can you believe him? Really, I think he has finally lost his marbles. He actually believes-"

Regina was lost in her own thoughts. _This can't be. I love Daniel, Daniel loved me. It was true… he was mine and I was his. We were happy, he accepted me, was always there for me, then he was taken away… This can't be. She can't be… I don't love her. She's annoying, LOUD, gosh she's really loud, she's even making my voice sound more like hers than mine the way she keeps yapping-_

"Regina!" Her thoughts were cut off by her own voice screaming at her.

"What?"

"Regina, I've been calling out your name for the past five minutes. What is up with you?"

"What is up with me? Really, Miss. Swan. Nothing is up with me, except for the fact that you won't be silent for at least five minutes."

"Well, sorry, your Majesty, if I seem to be the only one worried about our current predicament." Regina stopped on her tracks, turned around, eyes blazing and came into Emma's personal space.

"Do you really think I'm not worried? Just because I don't voice my worries every chance I get, does not mean I'm not worried about this. I'm worried that I won't be able to get back to my own body. I'm worried that I promised Henry that we would find a way to fix this. I'm worried we haven't even come close to fixing this, and I'm worried that you… that… I… I'm worried." She found a bench nearby and decided she needed to sit down and breathe. She was tired, her head was killing her, and she was almost going to say something she was sure she would regret, because it was ridiculous.

Emma leaned against the pier railing, she looked out at the water, and let herself breathe for a moment before speaking. "Listen, Regina, we'll find a way. We'll make this ok. There has to be a way to get our bodies back." She let out a deep breath "What did Gold mean when he said that you know what you have to do, but that you can't do it alone?"

"There is a way… but this is just so absurd. You can't be my-"

Emma turned around suddenly and faced what looked like a very confused version of herself.

"You aren't seriously thinking that anything that came out of Gold's mouth is actually true, are you?"

Regina placed her hands on her head, her elbows were on her knees.

"Are you?" Emma asked in disbelief

And as Regina lifted her head there were tears rolling down her cheeks.

Emma kept staring at her, shocked by what she was seeing. She saw obvious pain and confusion, and it was her face that looked so pained and confused. She came to Regina's side on the bench. Emma placed a hand on Regina's shoulder "I think you need some rest. Actually, we both could use some rest and some food. God, I'm starving."

Regina was suddenly chuckled, which scared Emma at the sudden change of emotion.

"Regina?"

"Yeah, no, rest, food, sure… Ok." Regina had no more left in her, so she got up, and looked at Emma.

"Come on, let's go to Henry, I'm sure his grandmother is feeding him her famous rabbit food spread."

"I'm sure, she murders carrots daily, she might switch to killing Brussels sprouts, but that's if we're lucky." Emma was trying to lighten up the mood, she could tell Regina was very confused by all of this and so was she.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence while on their way to the apartment. Once they got inside Henry ran to them both.

"Did you find out anything? Did Gold tell you anything about what happened? What did he-"

Emma had to cut him off "Hey, Kid. How about you let us grab some coffee and some of your grandma's ra-… food and we can all talk about it after we eat? Ok?"

Regina felt relief immediately after Emma had talked to Henry, if she hadn't, she might have lost it again.

"I'm going to go use the bathroom." Emma nodded to Regina and pointed where the bathroom was.

"Wait, uhm… " she went to Regina's side and whispered so that she would be the only one to hear.

"Just so that it's no surprise, I have a bellybutton ring." Emma blushed a bit and Regina gave her a small smile.

"I was wondering what that was. Do you have any aspirin?"

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom's cabinet"

Regina made her way to the bathroom.

She had found the pills in no time, quickly grabbed two and swallowed them down with some water from the faucet. She splashed some water on her face, closed the cabinet and stood there staring at herself in the mirror, she didn't know what to think. She touched the face that would be Emma's, the skin was very soft, features were strong, but the eyes… the eyes were definitely her own. _"Some souls are bound to each other." "They say that you can see the person's soul through their eyes." _Rumple's voice rang in her ears. She wasn't going to deny to herself that she didn't feel anything for Emma. Sure she could be annoying at times, ok most of the time, she was rude at times, snarky at times, beautiful at times, when she smiles… she felt like everything… Regina had to shake these emotions out, she could not let herself become weak towards them. Plus, Emma made it very clear to her that the idea of being her soul mate was ridiculous and not possible, which it is, it had to be. Didn't it?

*knock knock*

"Regina, Are you ok in there? I promise I have some chicken on the grill if you're worried about the mass murder of carrots that would befall you." Regina looked at herself again, she was smiling. It was so easy for Emma to make her smile, no one apart from Henry could do that._ Maybe, just maybe…_

"I'll be out in a second, please don't stop the rampage just for me."

Emma was whispering now "Honestly, it's not just for you. I'm sick of eating tofu dinners and carrot salads every day." Her voice came back to normal "Ok then, Water or Coffee?"

"Coffee."

Emma smiled back, knowing that she had already brewed two cups.

"And Emma…" Regina whispered now "Thanks."

Regina heard her go back to the kitchen, she took another look at herself, and the smile was still there. She took another breath and fixed her hair up a bit before opening the door.

"Hey, mom!" Henry grabbed her hand and started leading his mother to the empty chair on the table.

"Hello Regina." Charming gave her a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hello Charming" she returned the smile, that didn't quite reach her eyes either.

"I hope you like carrots with your chicken." Snow said as she handed Regina a plate

"Dressing?"

"No, thank you"

Snow gave her a nod

"This is strange, isn't it?" Henry looked at Regina

"Well, if dinning with your mother, at your grandmother's place after saving the town and then having said mother look like your other mother isn't strange, then I don't know what is." Emma had come back from using the bathroom and ruffled up Henry's hair, giving him a big smile

It was strange; everything about today was absolutely strange. It felt as though the world had turned upside down, like someone was playing a prank on them.

Looking at herself being so playful with Henry, Regina thought how natural Emma made it look, even if it was in her body. It didn't feel wrong looking at herself that way, not with him. She remembered how she would get home from work when Henry was young, she would take off her shoes and play with him for hours upon hours. She missed that, she missed being the mother Henry needed, the one that could be playful at times, the one that would cuddle with him on his bed and read stories until he fell asleep in her arms.

"Hey." Henry told his mom "Do you like the chicken? Emma made it." Henry made a face that clearly told her that it was probably not edible.

"Did she now? Let's see." Regina took a bite and tried not to make a face as she noticed that it tasted more like cardboard with spice than actual chicken.

"So, how's the chicken?" Emma handed Regina a cup of coffee

Regina managed to swallow before fixing up her face and answering.

"It's… good."

Emma didn't believe a word of it, but she wouldn't say anything of it because for the first time ever, Regina was actually being nice, just because she could. She knew she wasn't the best cook and she also knew that a bit of truth from the other woman wouldn't have hurt her, but she let it go.

"So, could Rumpelstiltskin help you? I mean, did he give you a spell, or a potion, anything?"

Snow had tried to let the dinner go as simple and as "care free" as it was going, but she couldn't help herself. It was bad enough having Emma in Regina's body, but when Emma's body was talking like Regina, her posture… Regina's, the way she carried herself was all Regina. It felt so out-of-order that she had to ask if there was hope that this could be undone and fast.

"He said he couldn't help us, that he couldn't help with magic… that it was only knowledge that he could give us and then he gave us this story about souls and how they are bound together-" a loud clang was heard

"What!?" Snow had dropped her fork on the plate

"I mean, it was all bull. He was obviously playing with us." Emma tried to calm her mother

"But Emma, did he seem like he was lying to you?" Charming asked

"Well, no, not exactly, but he's a very good liar. I wouldn't be surprised if he could fool even me."

Emma kept answering some more questions all the while trying to calm down her parents. Henry looked at his mom, she had stopped eating and was averting everyone's eyes.

"Mom, is this true?" Henry's question hung in the air. Regina couldn't answer her son, sure she could feel a certain pull towards Emma, but maybe it was just the fact that she raised their son all these years. Henry does have a lot of her mannerisms. She didn't want to lie to him anymore, so she said the only thing she could.

"I'm not sure, Henry." She looked at him with confused eyes. She knew that all he ever wanted was the truth.

"What?" Emma asked Regina. She stared at the other woman, her answer had left her and everyone else but Henry dumfounded.

"I said… I'm not sure." She locked eyes with Emma's and saw how wide they were, she couldn't bear the thought of what the other woman's mind was going through. Regina got up from the table and headed for the door.

"I need some air."

"Regina, wait. We need to talk about this." Emma followed Regina out the door, making sure she grabbed their coats.

They left the rest of the family still sitting on the table, staring at the door that was left wide open.

"What just happened?" Snow finally said

"I think my mom likes Emma and… I think Emma likes her back." Snow's face was worth her weight in gold. The pure shock of hearing Henry's words really did finally leave her speechless.

"I know something is up, Henry, but I don't think that's it." Charming tried to reason with him

"No, they like each other. Don't you see the way they look at each other? My moms like each other. Don't you think that's a good thing?" Henry said as a matter of fact and continued to eat his bland chicken with a side of rabbit food. Charming went to check if Snow was ok. She had gotten up and walked straight to her bed.

"Regina! Would you wait a second?" Emma was practically running after her. _God, how does she do this with these heals!_

"Come on Regina, give me a break… I'm not used to these… What are these anyways?" Emma was not trying to start a conversation about shoes again, but she had to try everything.

Finally after a few minutes Regina got tired and started moving at a slower pace. Emma cached up with her and before Regina could do anything about it, she felt someone grab her by the arm making her stop dead on her tracks.

Her heart was racing and not just from the walk. She closed her eyes, took a few breaths, and composed herself before facing Emma.

"Here" Emma handed her a coat

Regina grabbed it, she was freezing.

"Thank you for stopping, I wasn't sure how long I could keep that up." Emma was clearly out of breath

Regina was silent, her face giving nothing away, apart from the obvious need to catch a few more breathes because of the walk.

"Now, will you please explain to me what happened in there?" Emma asked her with genuine curiosity

"I think you know what happened in there."

"Regina, if I did, I wouldn't be asking you."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"The truth would be great."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Regina let her eyes falter for a second and Emma took notice.

"Listen, Regina… Whatever it is I promise I won't judge you for it. I might not understand you all the time, but I am a good listener when I want to be. Right now, something tells me you need to tell me something. So trust that I won't judge you and trust that I will listen." Emma kept her voice calm and sincere and so Regina found herself looking back up at green eyes. Emma gave Regina's arm another squeeze.

She saw that she could trust her, but she was still scared, she wasn't supposed to feel any of this. It was as if everything changed the moment she heard the truth at Gold's store. She went against her better judgment once again and opened up.

"I said I wasn't sure about what Gold had told us, but the truth is… I'm not sure about a few things. You see, I believed that Daniel was the only person that I could ever want like this. I never thought that I could start feeling like this for anyone else. I don't know when it happened, but…"

"Hey, it's ok." Emma hand went from Regina's arm to her hand and gave her another gentle squeeze.

"I care for you. I care for you, Emma. More than I should. I don't know if this is because you're Henry's mother, or if it's because of everything that's happened as of late, or if I've been carrying this a long time, but I do know one thing and that is, that I care for you. I also know that caring for you will only hurt you, because everything that I have ever cared for gets hurt. Sooner or later, it's a crushed heart, one too many lies, placing my trust in someone I shouldn't have, and I don't want that to happen to you… I don't want to hurt you, but I will. Given time, something will happen and I can't live with myself if I let you walk into something that will only leave you torn."

Tears were rolling down her cheeks. After a few moments Regina looked back at Emma, afraid of what she might see. Would she see understanding, fear, confusion, acceptance, disgust, pity, or a million other things. Whatever Emma would show her, could not take back the fact that she felt a mixture of relief and fear, for she had just told the absolute truth. It was a truth that would change things. Good or bad, she didn't know.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Breathe Me

Regina's sight was a bit unfocused by all the tears she had shed, her headache was Giant size. She calmed herself down and then felt thumbs on her cheeks.

Emma started wiping the tears away and before Regina could put that wall up, Emma hugged her. Regina couldn't understand this, she had warned her of everything that could go wrong and yet here they were in an embrace that was so inviting; she couldn't help but let it happen. She felt safe.

Regina kept her arms by her sides, letting her head rest on Emma's shoulder, and then slowly, Emma started pulling away. Regina missed the comfort of the other woman's embrace; it was like a cup of warm apple cider on a cold day.

"Regina, I am going to be completely honest with you, because you have no idea how much what you just said means to me." Emma now had both of Regina's hands in her own, she was looking at their feet. Emma had almost expected to see her own and so she laughed inwardly at the strangeness of it all.

Regina couldn't take her eyes off Emma. _How could telling her that I might hurt her be of any comfort to her?_

"Regina, All my life, I've been alone. I've never let myself get attached to anything or anyone, with the exception of Henry and for a brief moment, even Neal. I won't lie to you. I was young, I thought I was in love, I was foolish. I still am… foolish, but now I can fully understand that the choices I make in my life, not only affect me, but everyone around me. They affect the people I love the most. It's why I was scared to stay in town those first weeks. It wasn't because you were threatening me, it was because I have always run from everything good in my life. A ran from the fear of rejection, from the fear of hurting someone, or getting hurt… I am very good at running, always have been…" Emma took a long breathe and let it out all at once "I'm tired."

"It's ok, you really don't have to say anything. We can go back, you should probably rest, it's been a long day-" Regina was staring at nothing in particular now, Emma's face went to meet her eyes and when she couldn't see the other woman's brown orbs, she cupped her cheek and made her look directly at her, stopping her from finishing.

"No, I'm tired of running." Regina gasped, taking a breath she didn't know she had denied herself.

"The way I reacted earlier at Gold's store. I'm not gonna, it did shock me, but it didn't upset me. I was cut off guard. Regina, I don't want to run anymore."

Regina let herself see the truth in Emma's words. She felt as Emma's fingers linked with her own. This should have felt strange for her, having this woman be so close to her, but it didn't. For the life of her, it felt right. Their hands were perfectly linked, she looked at her own hands, she liked the way they looked being held by Emma's. Fair skin with olive skin.

"So, I will give this a chance, but only if you want to give this a chance as well. I'm not saying we need to U-Haul it right this very second, but maybe we could talk some more, go grab some coffee or go out to eat. I want to get to know you better. You're a bit of a mystery to me, Regina. A mystery I would love to uncover. And about not hurting me, I think we can safely say that we have both hurt each other already, enough to last us a lifetime. We can start healing things. I don't think we'll be perfect at (she gestured between them) this, we will have stumbles, we will want to pull each other's hair out at some point, but I do believe, without a fraction of a doubt that you could never hurt me more than by not giving this its fair chance. So, will you? Give us a chance?" Emma's pleading eyes spoke volumes to Regina.

Regina never left the sight of those eyes for a second, they both had fresh tears on their faces. Regina's lips started to lift up by the corners.

"U-Haul, huh?" Regina said with a smirk

That made Emma laugh out loud.

"I love that."

"What?"

"Hearing you laugh."

Emma eyes got slightly darker; she cupped Regina's face again, closed the small space between them, and kissed her. It was soft, wet, sweet and a bit salty because of the tears. Regina's eyes got wide for a second and then they were closing; she started moving her own lips.

Suddenly both their eyes started to feel warmer, there was a flutter in their stomachs, a warm energy was enveloping them, it was a buzz of something that Regina had felt before. _Magic._ There was an electric shock at their lips, but instead of making them step away, it made everything seem more intense.

After a few seconds they parted, both joining foreheads, breathing each other's air.

It was then that their eyes shoot wide open, they were back!

Whatever had happened between them just now had made their souls switch back to their original bodies. They still felt a light buzz from the effects of the exchange.

"Wow!" Regina was just as surprised as Emma sounded

"I missed you." Emma said suddenly

"How could you, I was always here." she pointed to Emma's heart

Emma smiled at that, but then took on a slight blush and added…

"I… I meant my body." They were both laughing

"Yeah, me too! If does feel good to be back."

"But you're right, you know… You were always here." Emma pointed at her own heart

Now it was Regina's turn to blush.

They fell into another kiss, it didn't last as long as the last one, but it was just as wonderful.

Both took a moment to look at themselves. Yeap, they were still in their own bodies and so they sighed in relief.

"We did it." Emma stated

"Yes we did." Regina smiled at her

After a few moments they separated a bit, but kept one of their hands linked. Finding comfort in that.

"So, when did you get it? The ring?" Regina was curious to know the hows and whys of that.

"I'll tell you if you can explain what that tattoo on your right hip means."

Regina gave her an incredulous look.

"What? I had to pee after you were in that bathroom for so long. I wasn't looking for anything I swear, it just caught my eye, besides, I like it."

"Regina?"

Regina was red and looked very serious

"Honestly Regina, I'm sorry I didn't mean to look, it just happened."

That's when Regina couldn't hold it any longer, she laughed so hard she actually started to feel pain on her lower side; it was a good kind of pain.

"Oh… God, that feels good."

"What? Making me think you were about turn me into a toad right here and now?"

"No, dear, laughing. It feels good."

Emma took Regina's hand again, understanding what the other woman had meant made her feel sad for her. She never wanted Regina to ever stop laughing. She looked so beautiful when she laughed and if she got her way, Regina would always laugh; it was a beautiful sound.

"Then let's not make it the last time, ok?"

They both smiled at each other

"Plus, you really should have seen your face." Regina imitated Emma's former expression

Emma slapped Regina's right shoulder lightly "Hey, I do not make that face."

"Oh yes you do! I should know. I was using it for the past few hours." Regina made another face, which if Emma wanted to tell Regina, it looked nothing like the one before, but she looked so damn cute, she didn't want to let her know.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Come on, Henry is probably asleep by now, but I'm not quite sure if your parents have had enough of waiting. They're probably about to send a search party for you."

The two made their way back to the apartment, holding hands, it was already dark out and it seemed everyone had closed shop for the evening. The town was so quiet, like the calm after a storm.

"Listen, young lady. I don't care how old you are… You do not just storm out of here and not send me a text to tell me if you're ok. I was worried sick!" Snow, didn't wait a second before confronting her daughter

"Mom, over here." Snow looked confused for a second, but then Emma came closer to her

"I'm back and I'm-"

Emma was about to explain when she felt arms wrap her in a crushing hug

"Don't ever do that again! Ok?" Emma returned the hug and started making soothing circles with her fingers; it was something she knew would calm her.

"Ok. I'm sorry, mom." They both knew she meant the whole body swap ordeal.

After everything they've been through, she was starting to think that it felt good to say it. It felt good to be able to call someone mom.

"It's ok, I'm just glad you're ok. The both of you." Snow looked at Regina, and she meant it.

"Listen, Emma… I talked to your father… Could we talk with you for a second?"

Snow and Charming made a gesture that they wanted to have this talk in private. Emma looked at Regina and they both came to a silent agreement.

"Ok…" Emma complied

They went to the bedroom and had Emma sitting between them on the small bed. They both grabbed one of Emma's hands and asked her the one thing they needed to know most of all.

"Are you happy?" Charming asked without hesitation

"What?"

"Emma, are you happy?" Snow asked this time

Emma let that question seep in, she hadn't asked herself that question in so long. At some point in her life it just stopped being important. Her happiness stopped being an issue. Her emotions could be too overwhelming at times, so she would just hold them all in and try to think of something else. She took a breath and thought about it, she let herself know, know what she felt at this very moment. She was shocked to realize that she was, she was the happiest she had ever been in the longest time, if ever for that matter.

She smiled at both her parents and squeezed their hands

"Yes. I am very happy."

"Good." Charming was the first to respond

They both saw she meant it.

Snow looked at her daughter and asked one more question.

"Does she make you happy?"

Emma didn't wait this time, she already knew the answer, before she even heard the question.

"Yes, very happy." Emma's smile grew wider.

Snow started to cry, Emma grabbed her mother and gave her a warm hug, Snow returned it making the embrace just a little tighter. Charming joined after a moment.

"Good." Snow whispered in her daughter's ear

They all pulled away after a while.

"I'm not sure how much time it's going to take for me to get used to the idea of you and Regina, but I can tell that you really are happy. I… I will try, ok?"

"That's all I need." Emma smiled at her mother.

"After everything that's happened, I think it's about time we all got some happiness." Snow squeezed Emma's hand lightly.

"You know, Henry has not stopped talking about how much he thinks you two would be good for each other. Something about the savior saving the former Evil Queen. I wouldn't be surprised if you went to his room and found him planning a party for you both." Charming chuckled

"Oh, really?" Emma shouldn't have been surprised; her son was very smart for his age and very observant.

"Yeap, he says he could tell you both liked each other for a long time now." Snow informed her daughter

How in the world could he have even begun to come up with that one, when only recently had she even been able to admit it to herself?

"He's asleep now, I checked a moment ago, but I'm sure he'll want to hear about everything tomorrow."

"I'm sure he will." Emma gave them a knowing smile

So much had happened, it seemed like time had stretched just for this one day. They all went to the kitchen area and after some more talk about what had happened, they all looked at the time. It was past midnight.

Snow and Charming offered Regina a stay at their couch, an offer Regina really wanted to grant, she was too tired to go back home. It was already too dark outside and didn't want to make Emma drive her back, especially not in that deathtrap she called a car. When she saw Emma's face, she couldn't say no, plus it would be best if they were both there for when Henry got up. So she nodded and was given a blanket and a pillow.

"Goodnight" the Charmings said in unison

After her parents made their way to the bedroom, Emma stepped closer to Regina.

"You really don't have to stay down here, you know." Emma whispered to Regina

"I…" Regina saw that look in Emma's eyes, the look that told her exactly where she would much rather have her.

"I.. don't know if that's a good idea."

"Regina, If your body hurts as much as mine does right now, and I KNOW that it does… We could both use some much needed sleep on a comfortable bed."

"But-"

"I promise to keep my hands to myself." Emma gave her half a smile and lifted both her hands to the sides of her head, wiggling her fingers.

Regina gave it some thought; she really didn't want to sleep in the sofa. Her back was killing her and she still hadn't even removed her shoes, her feet were killing her.

"Ok, but can I ask for one thing?" She gave Emma a smile to match the blonde's

"Anything."

"I need to take a shower and I believe you do too." After a moment she must have realized what that sounded like. "Alone! Take a shower alone." Regina's cheeks were red

"Well, I was going to suggest a bubble bath, but sadly… we just ran out of Mr. Bubbles." Emma gave her a knowing smile to let her know she was joking, well at least only half joking.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I thought it was." Regina just rolled her eyes _She's adorable_

"Smart ass."

"And don't you forget it."

Emma led Regina to her room and gave her a towel and some freshly cleaned pajamas. They were some blue shorts and a black tank top.

When Regina came back from the bathroom she let Emma take her shower. Emma hip check her on the way in.

"Hope you left enough hot water there, your Majesty"

"I did, although I don't think your body needs to get any hotter, dear." Regina winked at her. Emma just stared at her, mouth wide open.

"Not fair, Reginaaa."

"Fair? But I am the Fairest!" Regina had placed her hands on her hips and gave the blonde a huge smile

Emma just looked at her from top to bottom and then back at her with hungry eyes.

"That. You. Are." And before Regina could say anything, Emma had made her way back to the bathroom.

Regina let her blush go down and when Emma had come out of the bathroom, she was already waiting for her, sitting at the end of the bed.

"I didn't know what side to take, so…" Regina was looking a bit nervous, playing with the ends of the shorts.

"I always sleep in the middle, so whichever you choose is ok."

Regina made her way to the left side and Emma then took notice and went to the right. They pulled the bedspread and blankets down and got in. They pulled the blankets up their bodies, Emma clicked the lamp light off and they stared at the ceiling.

"Goodnight Regina."

"Goodnight Emma"

They both stayed there, still not being able to sleep, but when Regina's right hand-made her way to Emma's left, they both gave a sigh. Their hands were cold, but they both felt warmth immediately after the contact.

"Are you cold?" Emma asked, already knowing the answer

"Maybe a little." Regina answered quickly

"I could… Do you want me to…?"

"Ok."

"Sure?"

"Yes." Regina was facing Emma's body now

Emma turned to face Regina and indeed could tell that the woman looked like she was freezing

She made her way towards Regina, and she put her arms around the brunette's freezing body. Regina placed one arm around the blonde's waist and her face under the woman's chin.

Emma smelled of coconut, almonds, and something else… something very much Emma.

Emma placed her nose on Regina's hair and lightly breathed in the woman's scent. _She smells like apples, cinnamon, and… like home._

Emma kissed Regina's hair

"Night"

"Mm, night"

They fell asleep almost instantly with the warmth they found in each other's arms. For the first time in a long time, both women had a dreamless sleep, it was absolute bliss.

FIN


End file.
